1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a processing composition for silver halide color photographic light-sensitive materials, more specifically, the present invention relates to a composition having an excellent function of reducing staining ascribable to residual sensitizing dyes in the processed light-sensitive material.
2. Description of the Related Art
With remarkable progress of digital camera and color printer, the processing of a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material is demanded to quickly provide a high-quality image to users. However, since mere shortening of the processing time in conventional methods results in the completion of processing before sensitizing dyes in the light-sensitive material are thoroughly washed out, the highlight part or background part in the white portion of a color print is colored by a large amount of residual sensitizing dyes and the product cannot endure the viewing. In the case of a color negative film, the density in the minimum density part increases, whereby the color balance is lost and an appropriate print cannot be provided.
In recent years, use of silver halide tabular grains is an important basic technique in the preparation of a high-sensitivity light-sensitive material for photographing. This technique is advantageous in that since the amount of sensitizing dyes used per unit volume can be increased, the sensitivity and the sensitivity-graininess ratio are improved, but it has a problem that the amount of sensitizing dyes remaining in the processed light-sensitive material increases. Depending on the processing conditions, the increase in the amount of residual sensitizing dyes cannot be ignored and this causes a phenomenon such as lost of color balance due to increase in the density in the minimum density part of a color negative film or coloration of the highlight part of a color reversal film.
Research Disclosure, No. 20733 discloses a method of using a bistriazinylaminostilbene disulfonic acid compound as one example of the method for removing the residual color ascribable to sensitizing dyes. This method is widely used in the processing of color photographic light-sensitive materials. JP-A-6-329936 (the term xe2x80x9cJP-Axe2x80x9d as used herein means an xe2x80x9cunexamined published patent applicationxe2x80x9d) also discloses a bistriazinylaminostilbene disulfonic acid compound having excellent solubility and capable of reducing the residual color even in the processing shortened in the processing time.
Along with this quick processing of a photographic light-sensitive material, it is also demanded to reduce or maximally recycle the waste containers of processing agents or to more concentrate the processing compositions so as to reduce the cost for transportation or storage of the processing agents or processing chemicals. Accordingly, the additives used for the purpose of reducing the residual color must be suited for this concentration. However, a compound having an effect of reducing the residual color and capable of stably dissolving even in the state concentrated to a high salt concentration and satisfactorily providing the effect even in the processing reduced in the processing time has not yet been found out.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems in the techniques of the related art and provide a processing composition for silver halide color photographic light-sensitive materials, which can reduce the staining ascribable to the residual sensitizing dyes in the processed light-sensitive material and can be free of deposition of precipitates during the low-temperature storage of the processing composition.
The object of the present invention can be attained by the following inventions.
(1) A processing composition for silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials, comprising a compound represented by the following formula (I): 
wherein R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group or a heterocyclic group, L represents a phenylene group or a naphthylene group, and the pairs R11 and R12, R13 and R14, R21 and R22, and R23 and R24 each may be combined with each other to form a ring, provided that at least one group represented by xe2x80x94SO3M, xe2x80x94CO2M or xe2x80x94OH (wherein M represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, ammonium or pyridinium) is contained within the molecule, that the case where three or more of R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 are an aryl group and the case where at least one of R11, R12, R13 and R14 and at least one of R21, R22, R23 and R24 are combined with each other to form a ring are excluded, and that a group represented by xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94 is not contained within the molecule.
(2) An image formation method comprising using the processing composition for silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials described in (1).
(3) A compound represented by the following formula (I): 
wherein R11 R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 each represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group or a heterocyclic group, L represents a phenylene group or a naphthylene group, and the pairs R11 and R12, R13 and R14, R21 and R22, and R23 and R24 each may be combined with each other to form a ring, provided that at least one group represented by xe2x80x94SO3M, xe2x80x94CO2M or xe2x80x94OH (wherein M represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, ammonium or pyridinium) is contained within the molecule, that the case where three or more of R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 are an aryl group and the case where at least one of R11, R12, R13 and R14 and at least one of R21, R22, R23 and R24 are combined with each other to form a ring are excluded, and that a group represented by xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94 is not contained within the molecule.
The above-described compound of the present invention not only affords the means for attaining the object of the present invention but also has the following excellent properties. The compound of the present invention does not emit fluorescence and therefore, when used in combination with a bis(triazinylamino)stilbene disulfonic acid compound in the processing of a color print material, the fluorescent brightness and reduction in staining ascribable to sensitizing dyes can be independently controlled. Accordingly, the compound of the present invention can be preferably used in the processing of a color negative film or a color reversal film, where the processed light-sensitive material is not required to have fluorescent brightness. Furthermore, since the compound of the present invention is highly stable in the bleach-fixing composition or fixing composition as compared with the bis(triazinylamino)stilbene disulfonic acid compound and free of any deterioration in aging, so that stable processing performance can be maintained irrelevantly to the fluctuation in the processing amount per day or processing operation conditions.
The compound of formula (I) is described in detail below. The alkyl group represented by R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group having from 1 to 20, preferably from 1 to 8, more preferably from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and examples thereof include a methyl group, an ethyl group, an i-propyl group, an n-propyl group, an n-octyl group, a sulfomethyl group, a 2-hydroxyethyl group, a 3-hydroxpropyl group, a 2-hydroxypropyl group, a 2-sulfoethyl group, a 2-methoxyethyl group, a 2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl group, a 2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethyl group, a 2-(2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethoxy)ethyl group, a 2,3-dihydroxypropyl group, a 3,4-dihydroxybutyl group and 2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexyl group.
The aryl group represented by R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 is a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group having from 6 to 20, preferably from 6 to 10, more preferably from 6 to 8 carbon atoms and examples thereof include a phenyl group, a naphthyl group, a 3-carboxyphenyl group, a 4-carboxyphenyl group, a 3,5-dicarboxyphenyl group, a 4-methoxyphenyl group, a 2-sulfophenyl group and a 4-sulfophenyl group. The heterocyclic group represented by R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 is a monovalent group resulting from excluding one hydrogen atom from a substituted or unsubstituted 5- or 6-membered aromatic or nonaromatic heterocyclic compound having from 2 to 20, preferably from 2 to 10, more preferably from 3 to 8 carbon atoms and examples thereof include a 2-furyl group, a 2-thienyl group, a 2-pyrimidinyl group and a 2-benzothiazolyl group.
R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 and R24 each is preferably a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or an aryl group, more preferably a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, an ethyl group, an n-propyl group, a sulfomethyl group, a 2-hydroxyethyl group, a 3-hydroxypropyl group, a 2-hydroxypropyl group, a 2-sulfoethyl group, a 2-methoxyethyl group, 2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl group, a 2-[2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethyl group, a 2,3-dihydroxypropyl group, a 3,4-dihydroxybutyl group, a phenyl group, a 3-carboxyphenyl group, a 4-carboxyphenyl group, a 3,5-dicarboxyphenyl group, a 4-methoxyphenyl group, a 2-sulfophenyl group or a 4-sulfophenyl group, still more preferably a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, an ethyl group, a sulfomethyl group, a 2-hydroxyethyl group, a 2-sulfoethyl group, a 2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl group, a 2,3-dihydroxypropyl group, a phenyl group, a 3-carboxyphenyl group, a 4-carboxyphenyl group, a 2-sulfophenyl group or a 4-sulfophenyl group, particularly preferably a hydrogen atom, a methyl group, a sulfomethyl group, a 2-hydroxyethyl group, a 2-sulfoethyl group, a 2-(2-hydroxyethoxy)ethyl group, a 2,3-dihydroxypropyl group, a phenyl group or a 4-sulfophenyl group.
The phenylene group or naphthylene group represented by L is a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene or naphthylene group having from 6 to 20, preferably from 6 to 15, more preferably from 6 to 11 carbon atoms and examples thereof include 1,4-phenylene, 1,3-phenylene, 1,2-phenylene, 1,5-naphthylene, 1,8-naphthylene, 4-carboxy-1,2-phenylene, 5-carboxy-1,3-phenylene, 3-sulfo-1,4-phenylene, 5-sulfo-1,3-phenylene, 2,5-dimethoxy-1,4-phenylene and 2,6-dichloro-1,4-phenylene.
L is preferably 1,4-phenylene, 1,3-phenylene, 1,2-phenylene, 1,5-naphthylene, 5-carboxy-1,3-phenylene or 5-sulfo-1,3-phenylene, more preferably 1,4-phenylene or 1,3-phenylene.
The ring formed by each pair R11 and R12, R13 and R14, R21 and R22, or R23 and R24 combined with each other is preferably a 5- or 6-membered ring. Examples of the ring include a pyrrolidine ring, a piperidine ring, a piperazine ring and a morpholine ring.
Among alkali metals and alkaline earth metals represented by M, preferred are Na and K. Examples of the ammonium group include an ammonium group, a triethylammonium group and a tetrabutylammonium group. M is most preferably Na of K.
The compound of the present invention may contains at least one group represented by xe2x80x94SO3M, xe2x80x94CO2M or xe2x80x94OH in the molecule, at the terminal of R11, R12, R13, R14, R21, R22, R23 or R24, or on the phenylene or naphthylene group of L.
Specific examples of the compound of the present invention are set forth below, however, the present invention is not limited thereto. 
The compound represented by formula (I) can be synthesized by referring, for example, to Hirotsugu Matsui, Yuki Gosei Kagaku Kyokai Shi (Journal of Organic Synthetic chemistry Association), Vol. 17, page 528 (1959) and Japanese Patent No. 2,618,748. More specifically, a method of reacting cyanuric chloride with a phenylenediamine derivative or a naphthalenediamine derivative and subsequently with an amine is preferred. A method of reacting the phenylenediamine derivative or naphthalenediamine derivative through two stages or at the final stage is also preferred. Examples of the solvent used for this reaction include water and organic solvents such as alcohols, ketones, ethers and amides. Among these, water and water-soluble organic solvents are preferred. A mixed solvent thereof may also be used and among the mixed solvents, a mixed solvent of water and acetone is most preferred. Examples of the base used include organic bases such as triethylamine, pyridine and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]-7-undecene, and inorganic bases such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogencarbonate and potassium hydrogencarbonate. Among these, inorganic bases are preferred and in particular, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate are more preferred. The reaction temperature is from xe2x88x9220 to 150xc2x0 C., preferably from xe2x88x9210 to 100xc2x0 C. To speak more specifically, the reaction temperature is preferably xe2x88x9210 to 10xc2x0 C. at the first stage, from 0 to 40xc2x0 C. at the second stage and from 40 to 100xc2x0 C. at the third stage.